CSHL revoked his honorary titles and severed all ties with him.

Watson wrote many science books, including the textbook Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965) and his bestselling book The Double Helix (1968). He made derogatory comments about Rosalind Franklin, who had been responsible for gathering data that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, and was criticized for misogyny. Between 1988 and 1992, Watson was associated with the National Institutes of Health,